Outlet Photography

Modeling on the couch.

Like some of you, I subscribe to several photography magazines. I enjoy the articles and sometimes learn a thing or two.  Today I received one in the mail that has been around for many years with the tag line “How to make great pictures“. Although I enjoy the articles of this and other magazines, I often find it funny how the majority of the articles deal with photography equipment.

They list the best lenses, camera’s, lighting equipment, they even include great photography locations, but they often miss one important point when photographing models, how important a model personality is to creating a great image. You can have the latest Nikon or Canon camera, with the hottest new lens and best lighting kit and the knowledge to use it all, but if you don’t have the experience to choose and bring out the best of a model, its all for nothing!

What do I look for in a potential model? New or established model? There are several characteristics that stand out.

- Positive personality – often overlooked, but a happy and fun person will always bring out the best in a photo shoot. I won’t go into detail since I talked about this a few days ago. You can read that post here.

- Responsibility – very important, the last thing you want is someone who will not show up or cancel the day of the photo shoot. After spending money on a studio or location fees, having a model cancel or not show up can cost you hundreds of dollars! Even if its a test shoot outdoors where you are not spending actual money, my time is money. The time I spent planning and setting aside 2-3 hours equals to money lost. So whenever I decide to photograph someone I try to make sure they are responsible and let them know how much the shoot is going to cost me. It doesn’t always work, but it does reduce the number of models that flake on a shoot.

- Motivation – I find that most people who are motivated tend push themselves a little harder than others. A motivated model tries and works harder. Modeling is not always fun and games, it really is work and unless the model is motivated she can lose concentration and “finish” the day before you even get started!

- “It Factor” – the person’s personality or look must have something that stands out. This is the characteristic that is most difficult to find. There are many beautiful women, but not all are suited to be models. Like the example picture with Kymberly Jane shows, it takes a unique person to pull off poses like the way she manages to do.

So the next time you say to yourself “how do I take better pictures” think beyond camera equipment. Photo equipment is important and I often talk about it and will continue to do so, but we need to give equal importance to the quality of the person we are photographing.